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“The collective journey is the coming of age metaphor for humanity from adolescence to adulthood. It is time to change the narrative so that we have stories of the journeys that go with being an adult”

~Maya Zuckerman

Welcome to the first post since Christmas.

It builds on ideas from our Spring Newsletter. Not on the mailing list? Just click that green button on the right.

I want to start by expressing gratitude to you, my readers. Thank you for taking the time to hear my message – my intention is to bring hope and light in a time that needs more of both. I want to add a special note of thanks to Regina Meredith. We had a conversation one Sunday morning in early March about how generalists (such as ourselves) have trouble finding focus. She proceeded to help me find mine – and it is Abundance.

The model and road map for Abundance that I embrace is a pyramid with 3 tiers. Each tier has building blocks, 8 blocks total. Together, they form a path to a world where everyone has at least the basics needed for survival and at the same time creates an environment that allows everyone to have an opportunity to reach their full potential.

Over time, Change Agent Publications has grown in several directions. Here are some of them:

Abundance and the Podcasts

Abundance is one of the 4 Pillars that both my podcasts, Jump to the Next Level and First Fix You, showcase. If you break the other 3 Pillars down, they are contained in Abundance as well. Health (aka wellness) is literally one of the building blocks of Abundance. Sustainability is a key part of all 3 blocks in the bottom layer (water, food, shelter) as well as the middle layer block of energy. The other 2 middle-layer blocks – Education and ICT are key enablers of Sustainability. My vision of freedom (half of the top layer) can’t happen without peace.

Debt Hackers

Debt Hackers’ mission is to reduce, eliminate and avoid debt. I believe debt is the key tool that is used to bind us to the old ways – the industrial age of scarcity and fear. It specifically binds us to the obsolete organizations of the Industrial Age. Eliminating that bond goes a long way toward achieving a world of Abundance.

Call to Action

This is a completely new mindset. We will have to think about remediation of the existing problems left over from the industrial age. There needs to be new curriculum to teach prevention so that we don’t repeat the same destructive behaviors.

The very first step to entering this Next Economy of the New Era is to be the exemplary example. There are so many existing maxims for this: Be the change you want to see in the world. Lead by example. You can think of many more. The practice of being the exemplary example raises the consciousness of those that come into your sphere of influence. It is that important

Abundance will work because we realize we are all connected. We all have a vested interest in elevating each other. It isn’t a tribal thing, it’s a Human thing.

Working together will require some of the old as well at the new. I want to add my voice to those calling for the “Classic Values” of Generosity, Compassion, Kindness, Courage, Truth, and Ethical Behavior.

Next time, we will focus on how Abundance influences Change Agent Publications specifically

Second,

Most of you know that I attended Voice and Exit last year and it was a informational experience. That was a year and a half ago. It motivated me to launch a private Master Mind group, Debt Hackers, Jump to the Next Level and make some positive changes in my personal life.

Well, the 2016 edition of Voice and Exit was this past weekend. It was like Homecoming to me. I saw and reconnected with a few dozen of my friends from the Austin Intentional Community but it was so much more than that.

What is Voice and Exit?

Voice and Exit is billed as “the Festival of the Future” It is a Weekend immersed in thinking about a positive outcome for the future, led by people that are pioneering that outcome.

Speaker after speaker showed us ways to improve/transform ourselves, our communities and the world. I made many new friends because everyone there was not only open to future possibilities, they were eager to embrace them! This allowed us to quickly gel into a community of our own. I will save the details of the speakers, panels, or workshops I attended for another time.

Here are my general impressions:

Right now, we are building lifeboats – maybe even an ark or two. Most of the world is laughing at us. It doesn’t matter, we see the gathering storm.

For me, this year’s experience was elevating more than transformative.

A few of the contacts I made will merit special announcements, stay tuned!

Most important take away:

Don’t get caught up in the negative drumbeat. Heal ourselves, those around us an work to make that radiate out like ripples in a pond.

You may know that we have embraced a Vision of the New Era that has 4 pillars: Health, Sustainability, Peace and Abundance. The plan for ushering in the New Era involves spending a particular season of the year focusing on each one. This was our first Autumn of Abundance because we only discovered Vision 2020 (detailed here) in September.

Abundance is the idea that every person can have their basic needs met, no matter how many of us live on this beautiful blue marble. Abundance is when everyone has the means of meeting their basic needs and the opportunity to pursue his or her potential.

Here is what I learned during the last couple of months:

The Abundance Pyramid is valid. It describes food, water and shelter in the bottom layer; energy, education and information/communications technology in the middle layer; health and freedom in the top layer.

Lack hides Abundance. Many of the myths we need to shed as a society surround lack. We go into debt for lack of the latest gadget. We go to war for lack of natural resources. We waste huge blocks of time in despair for lack of (fill in the blank here).

Gratitude is always in order. Gratitude is a way of celebrating your abundance. It needs to be practiced constantly by every person that wishes to participate in this wonderful New Era.

Random acts of kindness can backfire unless they come from the heart. I once had a mantra, “no good deed goes unpunished”. It should be, “Acts of kindness with ulterior motives have unexpected, usually negative consequences”.

Abundance means sharing when you have more than you need. This is hard when you are a seasoned baggage-carrier like me! Too much stuff (this includes material and non-material things) is a burden, not a blessing.

Clutter will fill any space you allocate to it.

The mantra, “Be the change you want to see in the World” has deeper meaning for me now!

The season has changed and it is now the Winter of Wellness. The work I did during the Autumn season made lasting improvements that allowed me to take a step or two into the new era.

I have been wondering if it is OK to demonize banks. Well, they told me themselves. Commenting on the recent record fines levied by the Department of Justice for currency manipulation, one Barclay’s worker was quoted as saying, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”

Bel Pesce offers 5 ways to kill your dreams.

Editor’s note: This is post number 61 since moving to this web site. It will also be the last weekly post in this format. Change Agent Publications is “going quiet” for the winter. A new and improved web site will re-launch in the spring.

Gratitude

Your Vision should bring you happiness. Being happy allows you to focus on the Now without effort. As you live your Vision, expressions of joy and gratitude should become a common part of your everyday life. Gratitude acknowledges the gifts that other people and external forces constantly bring to you. It also helps others validate their vision. Wouldn’t life be wonderful if everyone you come into contact with helps you elevate your Vision? This can happen because cause they are elevated by interactions with you. Make it so!

Hold joy, gratitude and an appreciation for beauty. This raises the vibrational level of not just you but of everyone around you.

(The fourth characteristic of a Change Agent) A Change Agent inspires others, primarily by sharing an infectious Vision and expressing the appropriate amount of gratitude.

Asset-based currencies are generally the “push” type. That means the party sending the transfer of currency initiates the transaction by pushing it to the receiver.

Debt-Based Currencies

Debt-based (also called fiats) are the creation of government-sponsored banks (central banks). Their value is guaranteed by the “full faith and credit” of the issuing nation. Most started out as asset-based (the US dollar was 1/20 oz of gold for most of its history). A complex mechanism called “fractional reserves” is typically employed to allow fiat currencies to be manufactured.

Most debt-based currency transfers are the “pull” type. The party receiving the money initiates the transaction. Push and pull each have advantages. Here is a chart:

Proof-Based aka Cryptocurrencies

I have written previously about Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies in a 2-part post. Please feel free to review Part 1 and Part 2.

Cryptocurrencies are backed by cryptographic proof that each unit of the currency exists only once. They also have the advantages of both “push” and “pull” type mediums of exchange:

But wait, there is more! Cryptos have the following additional benefits for merchants:

Proof-based currency transactions are irreversible. That means there are no charge backs or fraudulent transactions. These issues are significant problems for vendors accepting credit cards.

The sender pays transaction fees. Credit and debit card fees are actually very high but the merchant absorbs them – passing them on to consumers as hidden higher costs.

There are negligible setup costs to start accepting Cryptos. It simply involves downloading some software and setting up an account with a currency exchange.

The ability to conduct transactions in cryptocurrency is going mainstream. You should grab lunch at Subway today and pay with bitcoin!